TASTES OF HOME
Thai chef gets creative
After discovering his passion for hospitality and food, Harit Vejakul didn’t waste a moment in pursuing his dream. He left Thailand after finishing high school in 1990 for a new chapter of his life in Sydney, Australia — a chapter filled with ambition, sweat, tears and joy. He studied hospitality management in the hope that he would become a great chef one day. After he graduated, he joined the kitchen staff at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. In that professional setting, he developed his skills in making Western food.
While his training leaned towards Western fare, Harit didn’t neglect Thai cuisine. Since his mother owned a Thai restaurant in Sydney, he played a key role in creating new dishes for the menu, constantly bringing something new and fresh to his customers.
After 13 years in Australia, Harit felt it was time to bring the experience and expertise he gained from more than a decade of working Down Under back home to where his heart belonged.
As soon as he came back, armed with his new talents, he became one of the most in demand chefs in Thailand. He worked at many hotels, including the Regent, JW Marriott and Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit. He worked his way up from being a regular Western food chef to an executive chef in a very short span of time.
With his expertise in hospitality management, Harit wanted to train a new generation with the same passion he had to pursue their dreams as well. He left the hotel job and became a full-time instructor at the International Hotel and Tourism Industry Management School.
He taught there for two years and made many students’ dreams come true. Though teaching was fulfilling, he also missed the buzz of the kitchen. He went back to work in a hotel for seven years before realising that fine dining need not be confined to swanky hotels.
Harit began to seek out other places besides fivestar hotels where he could showcase his expertise and create fine-dining experiences for customers. Then, a perfect place came to mind — Greyhound Cafe, where they offer such experiences to customers with creative presentations and all familiar flavours that people love.
Today, as the executive chef for all Greyhound Cafe outlets, he faces the challenge of maintaining a consistent standard of quality across all outlets within Thailand and Asia.
“Consistency is the key. I have to make sure that I offer the same culinary experience and flavour of food that is signature to Greyhound Cafe regardless of the location,” Harit explained.
“One thing I love about Greyhound is its hip, cool approach. While other Thai restaurants focus on offering tradition and authenticity, we [at Greyhound] want people to get traditional Thai food but in the most creative way. Our food is modern and stylish, which reflects the character of our customer base.”
From now until the end of March, Greyhound Cafe is hosting a promotion alongside the United States’ Department of Agriculture (USDA) under the theme “A taste of the heart”. The promotion features some of Uncle Sam’s finest ingredients such as potato, milk, cheese, apple, key lime and much more.
“America has many food products considered to be top quality by people all around the world,” said Paul Welcher, agricultural attache for the USDA. “I would like Thai people to try our products and see for themselves how good they are. We have Washington apple, something most Thai people are familiar with, as well as top quality milk and potatoes — we have everything right here.
“We chose to offer our American products to Greyhound Cafe because I know the restaurant to be quite popular among working-class Thai people, who love food and have purchasing power.
“Chef Harit also knows how to create a menu using our products in a way that Thai people will love.”
Chef Harit’s special USA-inspired menu will be available at all 12 outlets of Greyhound Cafe in Bangkok.
Here he reveals his recipe for a dish considered to be one of the most outstanding culinary examples of East meets West in his repertoire: American striploin salad with apple. the